If you are texted these 3 words it means you're being scammed - delete it immediately

These three words in a text message could be an indicator you are getting - and you should delete it immediately.

Certain phrases used by unknown numbers should set alarm bells ringing as it could be the sign of a high-risk scam which could leave you with data compromised or financial woes to worry about. Tech analyst and expert Tim Bajarin has revealed what people should keep an eye out for when receiving texts from unknown numbers.

He says the three-word phrase "would you kindly" is one to keep an eye out for, but even just the word "kindly" is a potential sign of scamming at play, he revealed in a recent interview.

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Expert Tim, in an interview with Reader's Digest, said: "The word ‘kindly’ is simply something we don’t use in our common vernacular in the US. You’ll often hear it used in countries with British influence, perhaps once a colonial country, where English isn’t their mother tongue [such as Nigeria, India and Pakistan]."

Tim has since revealed it is a "red flag" phrase, one of many to keep an eye out for in texts from unknown numbers. He added: "If you see this word or phrase, it’s a red flag, similar to poor spelling or grammar." Doug Shadel of Fraud Prevention Strategies also warned there was more than one phrase to be wary of, and more than a few should make you "highly suspicious".

He said: "Really, any communication that you get that’s unsolicited — whether it’s a text or robocall, social media message or email — should make you highly suspicious. If you didn’t initiate this correspondence, chances are it’s a scam." Seemingly innocuous messages such as "Did I miss you today?" or "I'll be late for the meeting" should be considered scams.

Shadel explained: "When you write back to ask who it is or tell them they’ve got the wrong person, they will try to defraud you in some manner. If it’s an ‘imposter’ message, like someone claiming to be from, say, Bank of America or the IRS, never click on the link or attachment. If you’re not sure if it’s [legit], you should independently log into that account with your own login and password — not what was sent to you — to see if the institution truly was trying to contact you."